Misplaced Pages

Old King Cole: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 22:21, 21 January 2020 editChippyton (talk | contribs)6 edits →In humour and satire← Previous edit Latest revision as of 08:37, 4 December 2024 edit undoCitation bot (talk | contribs)Bots5,415,383 edits Altered issn. Added date. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Spinixster | Category:Traditional children's songs | #UCB_Category 184/198 
(113 intermediate revisions by 72 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{about|the English nursery rhyme|the film|Old King Cole (film)|other uses|King Cole (disambiguation)}} {{about|the English nursery rhyme|the film|Old King Cole (film)|other uses|King Cole (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|British nursery rhyme}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox song {{Infobox song
| name = Old King Cole | name = Old King Cole
| cover = Old King Cole 2 - WW Denslow - Project Gutenberg etext 18546.jpg | cover = Old King Cole 2 - WW Denslow - Project Gutenberg etext 18546.jpg
| caption = Illustration by ]
| alt =
| type = nursery
| caption = Illustration by ]
| type = ] | published = 1709
| writer = Traditional
| written =

| published = 1708-9
| writer =
| composer =
| lyricist =
}} }}
"'''Old King Cole'''" is a British ] first attested in 1708. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a ] number of 1164. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions. The "bowl" is a drinking vessel,<ref>{{Cite OED|bowl}}</ref> while the "pipe" is a ], it might possibly refer to a ] although this is not likely as tobacco was not brought to Europe until after its discovery by Columbus in America among the Native Indians in 1492. Columbus observed the indians were smoking it both recreation-ally and for religious ceremonies. "'''Old King Cole'''" is a British ] first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a ] number of 1164. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions.

Although the earliest known origins of the nursery rhyme date to the early 18th century, the several credible origins of an "Old King Cole" all predate the history of the smoking pipe by hundreds of years. Tobacco quickly gained popularity in Europe as a wonder medicine plant, however, Smoking it didn't even reach main stream popularity until mid to late 1500's. <ref>https://academic.udayton.edu/health/syllabi/tobacco/history.htm#industry</ref>. It is more likely and meaningful that all three of Old King Cole's requests were for Musical Instruments as some sources explain that he used music rather than swords to gain popularity.<ref>https://www.thespeks.com/nursery-rhymes/old-king-cole.php</ref>
The "bowl" is a drinking vessel, while it is unclear whether the "pipe" is a ] or a ].{{citation needed|date=July 2020|reason=Need solid sources for this. OED proves nothing.}}


==Lyrics== ==Lyrics==
Line 27: Line 25:
Every fiddler he had a fiddle, Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he; And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there's none so rare, as can compare, Oh, there's none so rare, as can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.<ref name=Opie/></poem></blockquote> With King Cole and his fiddlers three.<ref name=Opie/></poem></blockquote>


The song is first attested in ] in his ''Useful Transactions in Philosophy'' in 1708–9.<ref name="Opie">I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 156–8.</ref> The song is first attested in ]'s ''Useful Transactions in Philosophy'' for January and February 1709.<ref>{{cite journal|first=William|last=King|author-link=William King (poet)|title=The Art of Writing Unintelligibly|journal=Useful Transactions in Philosophy|publication-place=London|publisher=Bernard Lintott|date=January–February 1709|url=https://archive.org/details/s1id11857700/page/n63|pages=52–53}}</ref><ref name="Opie">I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 156–8.</ref> King's version has the following lyrics:

King's version has the following lyrics:


<blockquote><poem> <blockquote><poem>
Good King Cole, :Good King Cole,
And he call'd for his Bowle, And he call'd for his Bowle,
And he call'd for Fidler's three; And he call'd for Fidlers three;
And there was Fiddle, Fiddle, And there was Fiddle Fiddle,
And twice Fiddle, Fiddle, And twice Fiddle Fiddle,
For 'twas my Lady's Birth-day, For 'twas my Lady's Birth-day,
Therefore we keep Holy-day Therefore we keep Holy-day,
And come to be merry.<ref name="Opie"/></poem></blockquote> And come to be merry.<ref name="Opie"/></poem></blockquote>


Line 48: Line 44:
There is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, but it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably given the centuries between the attestation of the rhyme and the putative identities; none of the extant theories is well supported.<ref name=Opie/> There is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, but it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably given the centuries between the attestation of the rhyme and the putative identities; none of the extant theories is well supported.<ref name=Opie/>


William King mentions two possibilities: the "Prince that Built Colchester" and a 12th-century cloth merchant from ] named Cole-brook. ] thought that "Auld King Coul" was ], the father of the giant ] (Finn McCool). Other modern sources<ref>North Devon and Exmoor Seascape Character Assessment, November 2015</ref> suggest (without much justification) that he was ] (1568–1614) of ] in the parish of ] on the north coast of ], whose monument and effigy survive in All Hallows Church, Woolfardisworthy. William King mentions two possibilities: the "Prince that Built Colchester" and a 12th-century cloth merchant from ] named Cole-brook. ] thought that "Auld King Coul" was ], the father of the giant ] (Finn McCool). Other modern sources<ref></ref> suggest (without much justification) that he was ] (1568–1614) of ] in the parish of ] on the north coast of ], whose monument and effigy survive in All Hallows Church, Woolfardisworthy.


===Coel Hen theory=== ===Coel Hen theory===
It is often noted that the name of the legendary Welsh king ] can be translated 'Old Cole' or 'Old King Cole'.<ref>Alistair Moffat, ''The Borders: A History of the Borders from Earliest Times'', {{ISBN|1841584665}} (unpaginated)</ref><ref>Anthony Richard Birley, ''The People of Roman Britain'', {{ISBN|0520041194}}, p. 160</ref> This sometimes leads to speculation that he, or some other Coel in ], is the model for Old King Cole of the nursery rhyme.<ref>Albert Jack, ''Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes'', {{ISBN|0399535551}}, ''s.v.'' 'Old King Cole'</ref> However, there is no documentation of a connection between the fourth-century figures and the eighteenth-century nursery rhyme. There is also a dubious connection of Old King Cole to Cornwall and King Arthur found at ] that there was a Cornish King or Lord Coel.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} It is often noted that the name of the legendary Welsh king ] can be translated 'Old Cole' or 'Old King Cole'.<ref>Alistair Moffat, ''The Borders: A History of the Borders from Earliest Times'', {{ISBN|1841584665}} (unpaginated)</ref><ref>Anthony Richard Birley, ''The People of Roman Britain'', {{ISBN|0520041194}}, p. 160</ref> This sometimes leads to speculation that he, or some other Coel in ], is the model for Old King Cole of the nursery rhyme.<ref>Albert Jack, ''Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes'', {{ISBN|0399535551}}, ''s.v.'' 'Old King Cole'</ref> However, there is no documentation of a connection between the fourth-century figures and the eighteenth-century nursery rhyme. There is also a dubious connection of Old King Cole to Cornwall and King Arthur found at ] that there was a Cornish King or Lord Coel.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}


Further speculation connects Old King Cole and thus Coel Hen to ], but in fact Colchester was not named for Coel Hen.<ref>see Opie and Opie, and discussion at ]</ref> Connecting with the musical theme of the nursery rhyme, according to a much later source, Coel Hen supposedly had a daughter who was skilled in music, according to ], writing in the 12th century.<ref name=Opie/> Further speculation connects Old King Cole and thus Coel Hen to ], but in fact Colchester was not named after Coel Hen.<ref>See Opie and Opie, and discussion at {{sectionlink|Colchester|Name}}</ref> Connecting with the musical theme of the nursery rhyme, according to a much later source, Coel Hen supposedly had a daughter who was skilled in music, according to ], writing in the 12th century.<ref name=Opie/>


<!-- NB the following passage is lifted verbatim from the article ]. The refs are either offline or don't devolve, thus we can't read them right now and so they can't be used in THIS article, and have been commented out.-->
===Cole-brook theory===
A legend that King Coel of Colchester was the father of the Empress ], and therefore the grandfather of ], appeared in ]'s '']'' and ]'s '']''.<!--SEE ABOVE<ref>Henry of Huntingdon, ], ch. 37.</ref><ref>Greenway, pp. 60–61.</ref><ref name=GeoffreyCoel>Geoffrey of Monmouth, ], ch. 6.</ref>--> The passages are clearly related, even using some of the same words, but it is not clear which version was first. Henry appears to have written the relevant part of the ''Historia Anglorum'' before he knew about Geoffrey's work, leading ] and other scholars to conclude that Geoffrey borrowed the passage from Henry, rather than the other way around.<!--SEE ABOVE<ref name="Greenwayciv">Greenway, p. civ.</ref><ref>Harbus 2002, p. 76.</ref>--> The source of the claim is unknown, but may have predated both Henry and Geoffrey. ] proposes it came from a lost hagiography of Helena;<!--SEE ABOVE<ref name="Greenwayciv"/>--> Antonia Harbus suggests it came instead from oral tradition.<!--SEE ABOVE<ref>Harbus 2002, p. 77.</ref>-->{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
In the 19th century ], an expert on popular music, suggested the possibility that the "Old King Cole" was really "Old Cole", alias Thomas Cole-brook, a supposed 12th-century ] ] whose story was recounted by ] in his ''Pleasant History of Thomas of Reading'' (c.&nbsp;1598), and who was well known as a character in plays of the early 17th century. The name "Old Cole" had some special meaning in ], but it is unclear what it was.<ref name=Opie/>

==="Old Cole" theory===
In the 19th century ], an expert on popular music, suggested that "Old King Cole" was probably derived from "Old Cole", a nickname that was used many times in ], though its meaning is now unclear.<ref>{{cite book | first=William | last=Chappell | author-link=William Chappell (writer) | chapter=Old King Cole | title=The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time | date=1859 | volume=2 | publication-place=London | publisher=Chappell and Co. | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bib_fict_4117314_2/page/632 | pages=633–635 }}</ref>

"Old Cole" probably originated from ]'s ''Pleasant History of Thomas of Reading'' (c.&nbsp;1598),<ref name=Opie/> about Thomas Cole, a fictional ] during the reign of ] from ], who was known as Old Cole throughout the book.<ref>{{cite journal | first=W. Carew | last=Hazlitt | title=Notes on Popular Antiquities | journal=The Antiquary | date=May 1886 | number=77 | volume=13 | publication-place=London | publisher=Elliot Stock | url=https://archive.org/details/antiquary12unkngoog/page/n246 | page=218 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Powys | first=Llewelyn | title=Thomas Deloney | journal=The Virginia Quarterly Review | publisher=University of Virginia | volume=9 | issue=4 | year=1933 | issn=0042-675X | jstor=26433739 | pages=591–594 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/26433739 }}</ref> In the story, Cole became extremely weathly, but was killed by an innkeeper at ]<ref>{{cite book | first1=John | last1=Ayto | first2=Ian | last2=Crofton | section=Thomas of Reading | title=Brewers Britain and Ireland | publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson | year=2005 | section-url=https://archive.org/details/brewersbritainir0000unse/page/914 | page=914 }}</ref> who disposed of Cole's body in the ] river – the story concludes with the lines "And some say, that the river whereinto Cole was cast, did ever since carry the name of Cole, being called The river of Cole, and the Towne of Colebrooke".<ref>{{cite book | first=Thomas | last=Deloney | author-link=Thomas Deloney | chapter=Chapter 11 | title=Thomas of Reading: or, The Sixe Worthie Yeomen of the West | publisher=Robert Bird | publication-place=London | edition=6 | year=1632 | url=https://archive.org/details/thomasofreadingo00delo/page/n62/mode/2up?q=%22thomas+cole%22 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/thomasofreadingo00delo/page/n101 }}</ref>

== "Old King Coal" ==
In political cartoons and similar material, especially in Great Britain, sometimes Old King "Coal" (note the spelling difference) has been used to symbolize the ]. One such instance is the folk song "Old King Coal" (different than "Old King Cole", Roud 1164), which was written by English folk musician ] in 1994. It presents Old King Coal as "a kind of modernization of ]", with the chorus being:<blockquote><poem>
There's fire in the heart of Old King Coal
There's the strength of centuries in his soul
There's a power that grows where his black blood flows
So here's to Old King Coal<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spiegel |first=Max |title=Lyr Req: Old King Coal (from Dave Webber) |url=https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=6560 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=mudcat.org}}</ref></poem></blockquote>


==Modern usage== ==Modern usage==
"Old King Cole" is often referenced in popular culture.
{{reduce trivia|section|date=March 2017}}
King Cole is often referenced in popular culture.


===In literature=== ===In art===
{{wikisource|Old King Cole (1985)}}One of the world's smallest books is about Old King Cole. It measures 1mm x 1mm and was printed in Paisley, Scotland in 1985. There are only 85 known copies.<ref>"Magnificent Monarchs" p. 8 (Fact Attack series) by ]; published by MacMillan UK in 1999; {{ISBN|978-0330-374965}}</ref>


The ] ] ''Old King Cole'' (1894) for the ] was sold by ] for $662,500 in 1996. Parrish executed a second ''Old King Cole'' (1906) for ], which was moved to the ] in 1948, and is the centerpiece of its King Cole Bar.<ref> ''christies.com'' (May 23, 1996); retrieved July 15, 2020</ref>
===In music===
In 1927, Moshe Nadir (1885–1943) published a Yiddish adaptation of "Old King Cole", "''{{lang|yi|]}}''". It has since become a popular Yiddish folksong.


====As a marching cadence====
The ] band ] included a version of the traditional rhyme on their song "]", from their 1971 album '']''.
The United States military has used versions<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyEUFhzxJs | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309074452/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyEUFhzxJs&feature=channel_page| archive-date=2009-03-09 | url-status=dead|title=U.S Army – Old King Cole |publisher=YouTube |date=10 February 2008 |access-date=15 July 2016}}</ref> of the ] in the form of ]s since at least the 1920s.


==== In music ====
] paraphrased the rhyme in their song "Great King Rat" on their ]:
"Old King Cole" was the subject of a 1923 one-act ballet by ].
<blockquote><poem>Great King Rat was a dirty old man
And a dirty old man was he
Now what did I tell you
Would you like to see?</poem></blockquote>


In 1960, a variation of the song was released on ] live album '']''.
The rhyme has appeared in children's television. For example, it was sung on the television show '']'', but with the last few lyrics simplified (which were also adjusted for the drummer and trumpeter verses):
<blockquote><poem>Dance with the fiddlers,
Dance with the fiddlers
Dance with the fiddlers three.</poem></blockquote>
It has also been used repeatedly in '']'', using the fiddlers as a way to illustrate principles of basic ] (with ] taking the role of Old King Cole), and again with ]'s dogs on the show (with Chundo as Old King Cole).


The first four lines of "Old King Cole" are quoted in the song "]" by ] (from their third album, '']'', released in 1971).
Pop singer ] (actual surname Coles) said his nickname was inspired by "Old King Cole". The "King" in Nat Cole's name was usually used in quotation marks during his lifetime, but today it is often seen as though it were part of his name. Cole Alexander of Atlanta punk band ] has also adopted the name, and performs solo as Old King Cole Younger, a name also partially derived from Confederate guerilla and later Old West outlaw ].


The melody is also used in the song "]" by ] on their eponymous debut album '']'' (1973), with the lyrics adapted to:
====As a marching cadence====
"Great King Rat was a dirty old man,
The United States military has used versions<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtyEUFhzxJs |title=U.S Army - Old King Cole |publisher=YouTube |date=10 February 2008 |accessdate=15 July 2016}}</ref> of the ] in the form of ]s, since at least the 1920s up to the present. A modern example begins:
And a dirty old man was he,
<blockquote><poem>Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Now what did I tell you?
and a merry ol' soul was he, uh huh.
Would you like to see?"
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl

and he called for his privates three, uh huh.
The jazz musician Nathaniel Coles took the name ].
Beer! Beer! Beer! cried the private.

Brave men are we
In the 2012 album '']'', "Old King Cole" is used as inspiration for both the lyrics and melody of the second track of the same name.
There's none so fair as they can compare

to the airborne infantry, uh huh.</poem></blockquote>
"Old Queen Cole" was the name of a song by ] that appears on their album '']''; the title and lyrics suggest a reference to the nursery rhyme.
The cadence includes verses for ranks from private to general, in the form of a ]; each verse included a satire at the expense of each rank: "Beer beer beer" said the privates, "Where's my three-day pass" said the corporals, "Drill drill drill" said the sergeant, "Who's gonna read my map" said the ], "Who's gonna shine my boots" said the captain, "Who's gonna drive my jeep" said the major, "Who's gonna mow my lawn" said the colonel, "Who's gonna walk my dog" said the general. A version of the cadence can be heard on the 1960 album '']'' by ]. Another can be found in a 1929 music book, ''"Sound Off!" Soldier songs from Yankee Doodle to Parley Voo"''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldcat.org/title/sound-off-soldier-songs-from-yankee-doodle-to-parley-voo/oclc/1485873 |title="Sound off!" : soldier songs from Yankee Doodle to Parley voo (Musical score, 1929) |website=WorldCat.org |date= |accessdate=15 July 2016}}</ref> by Edward Arthur Dolph.


=== In fiction === === In fiction ===


In his 1897 collection '']'', ] included a story explaining the background to the nursery rhyme. In this version, Cole is a donkey-riding ] who is selected at random to succeed the King of Whatland when the latter dies without heir.
'']'' (1836) by ] contains a short tale called "The True Legend of Prince Bladud" concerning the founding of the city of Bath that is read by Pickwick while he is staying in the city. Within this Dickens describes "the famous and renowned Lud Hudibras, King of Britain", comparing him in likeness to "the venerable King Cole".


In ] '']'', the titular character tells her charges a story about how King Cole remembered that he was a merry old soul.
In his 1897 anthology '']'', ] included a story explaining the background to the nursery rhyme. In this version, Cole is a ] who is selected at random to succeed the King of Whatland when the latter dies without heir.


] made reference to the rhyme in '']'' (619.27f): ] made reference to the rhyme in '']'' (619.27f):
Line 106: Line 105:
Joyce is also punning on the canonical hours ''{{lang|la|tierce}}'' (3), ''{{lang|la|sext}}'' (6), and ''{{lang|la|nones}}'' (9), in "Terce ... sixt ... none", and on ] and his ], in "fiddlers ... makmerriers ... Cole". Joyce is also punning on the canonical hours ''{{lang|la|tierce}}'' (3), ''{{lang|la|sext}}'' (6), and ''{{lang|la|nones}}'' (9), in "Terce ... sixt ... none", and on ] and his ], in "fiddlers ... makmerriers ... Cole".


The Old King Cole theme appeared twice in 1933 cartoons: ] made a '']'' cartoon called "]", in which the character holds a huge party where various ] characters are invited. ] produced an ] cartoon the same year, entitled '']'', which is in reference to the nursery rhyme. The Old King Cole theme appeared twice in two cartoons released in 1933; ] made a '']'' cartoon, '']'', where the character holds a huge party where various ] characters are invited. ] produced an ] cartoon the same year, '']'', which references the nursery rhyme.


Old King Cole makes an appearance in the 1938 '']'' short film '']''.
"]" (1937) by ] is stated (despite anachronisms like ]es) by the author to take place "after the time of King Cole, but before ]".


]' 1948 short film ] features Larry, Moe and Shemp as musicians in King Cole's court who must stop an evil wizard from stealing the king's daughter. ]' 1948 short film '']'' features Larry, Moe and Shemp as musicians in King Cole's court who must stop an evil wizard from stealing the king's daughter.


In the '']'' comic book series, King Cole is depicted as the long-time mayor of Fabletown.
In the '']'' ], King Cole was the long-time mayor of Fabletown, a secret community of "Fables" or fairytale characters, who were forced into exile in our world by a conqueror in their own alternate reality. He was defeated in an election by ] and was no longer mayor. He then became ambassador of Fabletown to the Arabian fables. After deciding to plan war to win back their homelands, he returned to Fabletown, assuming first the post of deputy mayor and then mayor respectively, after the resignation of Prince Charming. The gist of this storyline is reprised in the 2013 ''Fables'' video game '']''


In the fifteenth season of ] tabletop role-playing game show '']'', Old King Cole is a character who was once the king of the kingdom of Jubilee.
Characters based on Cole have featured in other video games. In '']'' (2000), there is a ] named ] whom the duo battle over control of a steam train. After King Coal states he wishes to battle Banjo and Kazooie, Kazooie reples "But you're supposed to be a merry old soul!", further referencing the rhyme. In the online game '']'' (2008) there is also a non-player character called Old King Coal.


===In humour and satire===
In the 2009 animated movie '']'', Old King Cole (voiced by ]) is amalgamated with ] who is ]'s father.


] wrote a stage ] adaptation, also called ''Old King Cole'' (2012).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Old_King_Cole.html?id=MDZ7MwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=Old King Cole: A Pantomime |author=Paul Reakes |website=Books.google.ie |date= |accessdate=15 July 2016}}</ref> It is a farce about the king choosing a queen from among his household staff, intended for school plays.{{importance inline|date=July 2016|reason=Non-notable author whose works appear to all be recent and either self-published directly or through a "book mill" publishing house.}}

===In humour and satire===
] wrote a poem ("Old King Cole: A Parody") which presented the nursery rhyme successively in the styles of several poets: ], ], ], ], and ]. Much later, '']'' ran a feature similarly postulating classical writers' treatments of fairy tales. The magazine had ] tackle "Old King Cole", resulting in a cadence similar to that of "]": ] wrote a poem ("Old King Cole: A Parody") which presented the nursery rhyme successively in the styles of several poets: ], ], ], ], and ]. Much later, '']'' ran a feature similarly postulating classical writers' treatments of fairy tales. The magazine had ] tackle "Old King Cole", resulting in a cadence similar to that of "]":
<blockquote><poem>Old King Cole was a merry old soul <blockquote><poem>Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Old King Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole.</poem></blockquote> Old King Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole.</poem></blockquote>

In the 1970s, American stand-up comedian ] offered this alternative:
<blockquote><poem>Old King Cole was a merry old soul<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And a merry old soul was he;<br>He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl -<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I guess we all know about Old King Cole...</poem></blockquote>
Carlin's intonation of the final line suggested that the pipe and bowl should be interpreted as ] references.

In political cartoons and similar material, especially in Great Britain, sometimes Old King "Coal" has been used to symbolize the ].


<big>'''Used as an adult song - Risqué, Humour.'''</big><ref>Local knowledge, South of England</ref>

Used as a song with (sexual) innuendo, "Old King Cole" has been sung by British rugby players during after match celebrations, with beer a plenty. The example given here is just one version that has been heard over time.


"Old King Cole" was a bugger for his hole and a bugger for his hole was he.

He called for his wife in the middle of the night and he called for his fiddlers three.

Every fiddler had a fiddle and a very fine fiddle had he, “Oh

Fiddle in the middle of the night with your fiddlers, jolly good company,

There’s no one here, can drink more beer, than that man there and me".


"Old King Cole" was a bugger for his hole and a bugger for his hole was he.

He called for his wife in the middle of the night and he called for his jugglers three.

Every juggler had some balls and very fine balls had he, Oh

"Balls in the air, in the air", said the jugglers,

"Fiddle in the middle of the night", said the fiddlers, jolly good company,

"There's no one here, can drink more beer, than that man there and me".



''Each of the next five verses adds another group of people. Each group (and what they say) are added to the list of actions at the end of each verse.''



'''Verse three adds the Painters.''' 'Every painter had a brush and a very fine brush had he'. Oh, "Slap it up and down, up and down" said the painters. Etc.

'''Verse four adds the Bakers.''' 'Every baker had some buns and very fine buns had he'. Oh, "Butter up your buns, up your buns" said the bakers. Etc.

'''Verse five adds the Butchers.''' 'Every butcher had some meat and very fine meat had he'. Oh, "Tenderise your meat, your meat" said the butchers. Etc.

'''Verse six adds the Jousters.''' 'Every Jouster had a lance and a very fine lance had he'. Oh, "Stick it in the hole, in the hole" said the jousters. Etc.

'''The last verse adds the Generals.''' 'Every general had a plan and a very fine plan had he'. Oh, "Attack it from the rear, from the rear" said the generals Etc.


The closing line of each verse -"There's no one here, can drink more beer, than that man there and me".- ,(in different situations), can be sung as, "There's nowt quite like a fiddle in the night with your wife and your fiddler's three."


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{reflist}}


==References== ==References==
{{wikisource}} {{wikisource}}
*Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136). ''History of the Kings of Britain''. *Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136). ''History of the Kings of Britain''.
*Huntingdon, Henry of (c. 1129), ''Historia Anglorum''. *Henry of Huntingdon (c. 1129), ''Historia Anglorum''.
*Kightley, C (1986), ''Folk Heroes of Britain''. Thames & Hudson. *Kightley, C (1986), ''Folk Heroes of Britain''. Thames & Hudson.
*Morris, John. ''The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973. {{ISBN|978-0-684-13313-3}}. *Morris, John. ''The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973. {{ISBN|978-0-684-13313-3}}.
Line 193: Line 135:


{{authoritycontrol}} {{authoritycontrol}}

] ]
] ]
Line 202: Line 145:
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 08:37, 4 December 2024

This article is about the English nursery rhyme. For the film, see Old King Cole (film). For other uses, see King Cole (disambiguation). British nursery rhyme

"Old King Cole"
Illustration by William Wallace Denslow
Nursery rhyme
Published1709
Songwriter(s)Traditional

"Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 1164. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions.

The "bowl" is a drinking vessel, while it is unclear whether the "pipe" is a musical instrument or a tobacco pipe.

Lyrics

The most common modern version of the rhyme is:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh, there's none so rare, as can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

The song is first attested in William King's Useful Transactions in Philosophy for January and February 1709. King's version has the following lyrics:

Good King Cole,
And he call'd for his Bowle,
And he call'd for Fidlers three;
And there was Fiddle Fiddle,
And twice Fiddle Fiddle,
For 'twas my Lady's Birth-day,
Therefore we keep Holy-day,
And come to be merry.

Identity of King Cole

There is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, but it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably given the centuries between the attestation of the rhyme and the putative identities; none of the extant theories is well supported.

William King mentions two possibilities: the "Prince that Built Colchester" and a 12th-century cloth merchant from Reading named Cole-brook. Sir Walter Scott thought that "Auld King Coul" was Cumhall, the father of the giant Fyn M'Coule (Finn McCool). Other modern sources suggest (without much justification) that he was Richard Cole (1568–1614) of Bucks in the parish of Woolfardisworthy on the north coast of Devon, whose monument and effigy survive in All Hallows Church, Woolfardisworthy.

Coel Hen theory

It is often noted that the name of the legendary Welsh king Coel Hen can be translated 'Old Cole' or 'Old King Cole'. This sometimes leads to speculation that he, or some other Coel in Roman Britain, is the model for Old King Cole of the nursery rhyme. However, there is no documentation of a connection between the fourth-century figures and the eighteenth-century nursery rhyme. There is also a dubious connection of Old King Cole to Cornwall and King Arthur found at Tintagel Castle that there was a Cornish King or Lord Coel.

Further speculation connects Old King Cole and thus Coel Hen to Colchester, but in fact Colchester was not named after Coel Hen. Connecting with the musical theme of the nursery rhyme, according to a much later source, Coel Hen supposedly had a daughter who was skilled in music, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, writing in the 12th century.

A legend that King Coel of Colchester was the father of the Empress Saint Helena, and therefore the grandfather of Constantine the Great, appeared in Henry of Huntingdon's Historia Anglorum and Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. The passages are clearly related, even using some of the same words, but it is not clear which version was first. Henry appears to have written the relevant part of the Historia Anglorum before he knew about Geoffrey's work, leading J. S. P. Tatlock and other scholars to conclude that Geoffrey borrowed the passage from Henry, rather than the other way around. The source of the claim is unknown, but may have predated both Henry and Geoffrey. Diana Greenway proposes it came from a lost hagiography of Helena; Antonia Harbus suggests it came instead from oral tradition.

"Old Cole" theory

In the 19th century William Chappell, an expert on popular music, suggested that "Old King Cole" was probably derived from "Old Cole", a nickname that was used many times in Elizabethan theatre, though its meaning is now unclear.

"Old Cole" probably originated from Thomas Deloney's Pleasant History of Thomas of Reading (c. 1598), about Thomas Cole, a fictional cloth merchant during the reign of Henry I from Reading, who was known as Old Cole throughout the book. In the story, Cole became extremely weathly, but was killed by an innkeeper at Colnbrook who disposed of Cole's body in the Colne Brook river – the story concludes with the lines "And some say, that the river whereinto Cole was cast, did ever since carry the name of Cole, being called The river of Cole, and the Towne of Colebrooke".

"Old King Coal"

In political cartoons and similar material, especially in Great Britain, sometimes Old King "Coal" (note the spelling difference) has been used to symbolize the coal industry. One such instance is the folk song "Old King Coal" (different than "Old King Cole", Roud 1164), which was written by English folk musician John Kirkpatrick in 1994. It presents Old King Coal as "a kind of modernization of John Barleycorn", with the chorus being:

There's fire in the heart of Old King Coal
There's the strength of centuries in his soul
There's a power that grows where his black blood flows
So here's to Old King Coal

Modern usage

"Old King Cole" is often referenced in popular culture.

In art

The Maxfield Parrish mural Old King Cole (1894) for the Mask and Wig Club was sold by Christie's for $662,500 in 1996. Parrish executed a second Old King Cole (1906) for The Knickerbocker Hotel, which was moved to the St. Regis New York in 1948, and is the centerpiece of its King Cole Bar.

As a marching cadence

The United States military has used versions of the traditional rhyme in the form of marching cadences since at least the 1920s.

In music

"Old King Cole" was the subject of a 1923 one-act ballet by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

In 1960, a variation of the song was released on Harry Belafonte's live album Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.

The first four lines of "Old King Cole" are quoted in the song "The Musical Box" by Genesis (from their third album, Nursery Cryme, released in 1971).

The melody is also used in the song "Great King Rat" by Queen on their eponymous debut album Queen (1973), with the lyrics adapted to: "Great King Rat was a dirty old man, And a dirty old man was he, Now what did I tell you? Would you like to see?"

The jazz musician Nathaniel Coles took the name Nat King Cole.

In the 2012 album Once Upon a Time (In Space), "Old King Cole" is used as inspiration for both the lyrics and melody of the second track of the same name.

"Old Queen Cole" was the name of a song by Ween that appears on their album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness; the title and lyrics suggest a reference to the nursery rhyme.

In fiction

In his 1897 collection Mother Goose in Prose, L. Frank Baum included a story explaining the background to the nursery rhyme. In this version, Cole is a donkey-riding commoner who is selected at random to succeed the King of Whatland when the latter dies without heir.

In P. L. Travers' Mary Poppins Opens the Door, the titular character tells her charges a story about how King Cole remembered that he was a merry old soul.

James Joyce made reference to the rhyme in Finnegans Wake (619.27f):

With pipe on bowl. Terce for a fiddler, sixt for makmerriers, none for a Cole.

Joyce is also punning on the canonical hours tierce (3), sext (6), and nones (9), in "Terce ... sixt ... none", and on Fionn MacCool and his Fianna, in "fiddlers ... makmerriers ... Cole".

The Old King Cole theme appeared twice in two cartoons released in 1933; Walt Disney made a Silly Symphony cartoon, Old King Cole, where the character holds a huge party where various nursery rhyme characters are invited. Walter Lantz produced an Oswald cartoon the same year, The Merry Old Soul, which references the nursery rhyme.

Old King Cole makes an appearance in the 1938 Merrie Melodies short film Have You Got Any Castles.

The Three Stooges' 1948 short film Fiddlers Three features Larry, Moe and Shemp as musicians in King Cole's court who must stop an evil wizard from stealing the king's daughter.

In the Fables comic book series, King Cole is depicted as the long-time mayor of Fabletown.

In the fifteenth season of Dropout's tabletop role-playing game show Dimension 20, Old King Cole is a character who was once the king of the kingdom of Jubilee.

In humour and satire

G. K. Chesterton wrote a poem ("Old King Cole: A Parody") which presented the nursery rhyme successively in the styles of several poets: Alfred Lord Tennyson, W. B. Yeats, Robert Browning, Walt Whitman, and Algernon Charles Swinburne. Much later, Mad ran a feature similarly postulating classical writers' treatments of fairy tales. The magazine had Edgar Allan Poe tackle "Old King Cole", resulting in a cadence similar to that of "The Bells":

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
Old King Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole.

Notes

  1. ^ I. Opie and P. Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (Oxford University Press, 1997), pp. 156–8.
  2. King, William (January–February 1709). "The Art of Writing Unintelligibly". Useful Transactions in Philosophy. London: Bernard Lintott: 52–53.
  3. North Devon and Exmoor Seascape Character Assessment, November 2015
  4. Alistair Moffat, The Borders: A History of the Borders from Earliest Times, ISBN 1841584665 (unpaginated)
  5. Anthony Richard Birley, The People of Roman Britain, ISBN 0520041194, p. 160
  6. Albert Jack, Pop Goes the Weasel: The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes, ISBN 0399535551, s.v. 'Old King Cole'
  7. See Opie and Opie, and discussion at Colchester § Name
  8. Chappell, William (1859). "Old King Cole". The Ballad Literature and Popular Music of the Olden Time. Vol. 2. London: Chappell and Co. pp. 633–635.
  9. Hazlitt, W. Carew (May 1886). "Notes on Popular Antiquities". The Antiquary. 13 (77). London: Elliot Stock: 218.
  10. Powys, Llewelyn (1933). "Thomas Deloney". The Virginia Quarterly Review. 9 (4). University of Virginia: 591–594. ISSN 0042-675X. JSTOR 26433739.
  11. Ayto, John; Crofton, Ian (2005). "Thomas of Reading". Brewers Britain and Ireland. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 914.
  12. Deloney, Thomas (1632). "Chapter 11". Thomas of Reading: or, The Sixe Worthie Yeomen of the West (6 ed.). London: Robert Bird.
  13. Spiegel, Max. "Lyr Req: Old King Coal (from Dave Webber)". mudcat.org. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  14. "Important American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture" christies.com (May 23, 1996); retrieved July 15, 2020
  15. "U.S Army – Old King Cole". YouTube. 10 February 2008. Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2016.

References

  • Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1136). History of the Kings of Britain.
  • Henry of Huntingdon (c. 1129), Historia Anglorum.
  • Kightley, C (1986), Folk Heroes of Britain. Thames & Hudson.
  • Morris, John. The Age of Arthur: A History of the British Isles from 350 to 650. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973. ISBN 978-0-684-13313-3.
  • Opie, I & P (1951), The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes. Oxford University Press.
  • Skene, WF (1868), The Four Ancient Books of Wales. Edmonston & Douglas.
Categories: